HIST 2260 Lecture Notes - Native American Religion, Ometeotl, Tonalpohualli
1 Dec 2013
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Document Summary
The first nations of north america (or amerindian") were not single cultural and social entity- as label suggests, nations", in plural. Difficult to be certain when homo sapiens first appeared on north american continent suggests date in wide order of 30,000- Most likely origin of first nations of north america was siberia - although still debated. Migration from siberia into north america apparently followed pattern: down into south, along west coast, then, only as ice from ice age began to recede, north again, and lastly around 10,000. B. c. into what is now eastern and northeastern canada. Native american religion, like pre-christian european religion, closely centered on nature: natural landscapes and natural objects imbued with super-natural meaning and power, all practices closely intertwined with economic basis of each culture. Societies based on hunting and gathering as principle economic activities focused on animal religious symbolism, individual spiritual quests, and shamanism: concept of life after death somewhat limited to eternal good hunting.
